Weinhandl was drafted 78th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He played 182 career NHL games for the Islanders and the Minnesota Wild, scoring 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points. He overcame a serious eye injury in 1999 to make the Islanders squad two seasons later.\n', '

On November 13, 1999, the 19-year-old Weinhandl was playing for Team Sweden in a game against the Czech Republic in the U-20 Four Nations Tournament. Approximately 51 minutes into the game, Weinhandl was struck in the left eye by Czech player Michal Trávníček\'s stick. The incident came mere seconds after Weinhandl hooked Trávníček in the hip area to prevent him from getting past him. Trávníček fell down and upon rising, assaulted Weinhandl with his stick, aiming it in a way that it would reach under Weinhandl\'s half visor and strike the Swede in the face. Weinhandl\'s forehead was fractured and his vision in the eye was reduced to 10%. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) judged the incident to be an attack and banned Trávníček from participating in international play for three years.\n', '

Weinhandl broke into the NHL during the 2002–03 season. He tallied his first NHL point (an assist) in his first NHL game on November 4, 2002 against the Calgary Flames. He picked up his first NHL goal 23 days later, on November 27, against the Ottawa Senators\' goalie Patrick Lalime. He played in that season\'s YoungStars game, which took place in Sunrise, Florida during the All-Star break and picked up a goal and an assist. He missed a number of games during the early part of the season due to a sprained shoulder, but finished the year with 23 points (six goals and 17 assists) in 47 games.\n', '

Return to Mattias Weinhandl Autograph Profile